Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



. J. STEVENS.

Breech-Loading Fire-Arm.

Patented Sept. 6, 1864.

N.FEI'ERS. FHOYO-UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D. C,

JOSHUA STEVENS, OF OHICOPEE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification fonning part of Lettcrs Patent No. 414,123, datedSeptember 6, 1864.

To all whom it nuty concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSHUA STEVENS, a resi dent of Ohicopee Falls, inthe county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Breech Loading Fire-Arms; and I do herebydeclare the same to be fully described in the following specificationand represented in the accompanying drawings, ofwhich- Figure l is avertical and longitudinal section, and Fig. 2 a horizontal andlongitudinal section, of apistol provided-with my invention. Fig. 3 is atransverse section of it, such sec tion being taken through thespring-catch of the barrel and stock.

The nature of my invention consists in an arrangement and combination ofabreech-ele-' vating spring and a cartridge-shell discharger or starterin such manner that the said spring, while performing its function ofelevating the barrel at its breech, shall retract the cartridgeshelldischarger or starter for the purpose of either wholly or partiallyexpelling.

from the barrel the shell or case of an exploded cartridge. 1

My invention also further consists in an arrangement of a spring-catchand its holdingnotch with the barrel and the stock of the firearm,applied together, substantially as hereinafter explained.

It is necessary to my invention that the barrel of the fire-arm shouldnot only have a separate and stationary breech or recoil-abutment fixedto or making part of the stock, but that such barrel should be open atits rearend, and be so jointed to the stock as to be capable of beingturned or moved relatively thereto in a manner to move the said open endor breech end away from the stationary breech or abut ment sufficientlyto permit the introduction of a cartridge into the rear end of suchbarrel.

In the drawings, A denotes the barrel, and B the stock, of a pistol, thetwo being'hinged or jointed together at or near the front end of thestockviz., at a, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The lower part of thebarrel, or that portion thereof which is to rest or fit into the stock,is provided with a cartridge-case starter or discharger, O, which, asrepresented in the drawings, is not only placed in arecess made withinthe barrel, and so as to be capable of sliding longitudinally therein,but at its rear end projects upward into a notch made in the rear partof the barrel, and so as to abut against the body of the cartridge-caseand be in front of its flange when such case may be in the barrel, thewhole being as shown in Fig. 1. At or near its front end this cartridgeshell or case discharger O is jointed or hooked to the free extremity ofa spring, D, such spring being arranged within the stock and underneaththe barrel, as shown in Fig. 1, and being at its rear end fastened tothe stock.

Fig. 4 denotes a view of the rear extremity of the barrel. In thisfigurethe countersunk space for reception of the cartridge-flange is exhibitedat d,- and, furthermore, the rear end of the barrel is here representedas furnished on one side with a notch, c, with which a spring-catch, f,is to operate in retaining the barrel in conjunction with the stationarybreech g. The catch f, formed and arranged as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and3, is drawn into the notch by the action of a spring, The notch openstransversely, or out of one side of the barrel. By placing the thumb onthe end of the shank of the catch and pressing thereon the catch may beforced out of the notch of the barrel, after which the barrel will betilted or thrown up at its rear end by the action of the spring D, thesaid spring in the meantime producing a retraction of the cartridge-casestarter or discharger. At the period of the said movement of thespring-catch, should there be within the barrel a cartridge or the shellof a cartridge, it will be either wholly or partially forced backwardout of the barrel by the discharger C while being so retracted. Thus itwill be seen that the spring D will perform two functions at one andthesametime viz., that of elevating the barrel at its breech end and thatof retracting the cartridge case or shell discharger, so as to eitherpartially or wholly expel the said case or shell from the barrel.exploded cartridgeshell removed from it in such manner, and afreshcartridge substituted for such shell, we should press the barrel downward at its breech end and into the stock, the barrel at the part m ofFig. 4 will meet the springcatch and force the latter aside until thenotch 6 shall have descended to the proper level to receive thespring-catch. This having taken place, the spring of the catch willretract the said catch, so as to draw it down into the notch, andthereby lock the barrel, in con- If, after the barrel may have had anJunction with the stationary breech, and there hold it during explosionof the cartridge, which may be effected by pulling the trigger, andthereby causing the hammer Z to be thrown down against the flange orrear end of the cartridge.

In my improved fire-arm the spring-catch is so arranged as to be movableby the thumb of a persons hand, while the hand may be grasping thehandle of the stock in the ordinary manner for effecting the dischargeof the pistol. It does not require a pull of the forefinger on a knob ortrigger to effect the movement of the catch necessary to free thebarrel, so as to allow it to be thrown up or tilted by the spring.Operating the catch by the thumb is much more convenient and certainthan by the forefinger. Therefore, in my peculiar arrangement of thespring-catchthat is to say, so as to run transversely relatively to thebarrel and within the stock, instead of longitudinally thereof-I haveeffected an important improvement.

My improved arrangement of the springcatch causes the catch to be lessliable to be unlatched during the act of firing the piece than is thecase where the spring-catch is placed longitudinally under or in variousother ways relatively to the barrel.

I am aware of the nature of the improvement which forms the subject orsubjects of the United States Patent No. 25,926, and there fore I do notclaim such as my invention; but

I claim The arrangement and combination of the breech-elevating springand the cartridgeshell discharger together in such manner and withrespect to the barrel and stock that while the spring may be performingits function of elevating the barrel at its breech end it shall retractthe cartridge-shell discharger, for the purpose as hereinbeforespecified.

- JOSHUA STEVENS.

Witnesses:

TIMOTHY W. CARTER, WM. B. FAY.

